Monthly Archives: June 2013

This week’s top stories include the release of a brand new gaming console, Australia hating video games, and a naughty move by The Last of Us creators Naughty Dog. All that and more in the News of the Week.

Question of the Week: has a game demo ever influenced you into buying or avoiding that game? Comment below or Tweet me your answers.

Music used in this week’s presentation is “BanjoLand” by Grant Kirkhope from the Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts soundtrack.

If the link to the show doesn’t work, please let me know by Tweeting me or commenting below. Same goes for any previous shows if you happen to check them out. I want to make sure everything works. Thank you!

Games can now tell a story on par with your average film. Okay, that’s not saying much, but the medium has certainly come a long way since its humble roots. There is now a focus on delivering not only fun gameplay but also a deep and layered story. Sometimes the gameplay drives the game, its fun mechanics enticing gamers to play “just one more level.” Other times the story drives the game, its complex characters and plot drawing players in to play “until the next cutscene.”

Film writers are now getting in on the action. David S. Goyer, famous for helping write the Dark Knight trilogy and the latest Superman film Man of Steel, helped give the Call of Duty series a decent story in the two Black Ops installments. Book of Eli writer Gary Whitta is one of several people who brought the world of the Walking Dead to the video game world. And the list of screenwriters-turned-video game writers keeps growing.

This week’s top stories include Microsoft’s big policy change, Sony’s PlayStation 3 blunder, and a gaming demographic proven to be more than just a fringe group. All that and more in the News of the Week.

Question of the Week: what is your favourite video game soundtrack? Comment below or Tweet me your answers.

Music used in this week’s presentation is “Back to Jungle Japes” by Nintendo from the Super Smash Bros Brawl soundtrack.

If the link to the show doesn’t work, please let me know by Tweeting me or commenting below. Same goes for any previous shows if you happen to check them out. I want to make sure everything works. Thank you!

Some games are truly challenging. They may require quick reflexes, swift logic, or knowing when to make the right move. They offer a great sense of accomplishment to gamers who can succeed in beating them.

Then there are games whose main challenges stem from their numerous technical problems, cheating artificial intelligence, or trial-and-error sequences. And these are some games I hate.

This edition of News of the Week won’t have the regular audio slideshow. I was unable to put everything together in time. I apologize. I feel everything should be back to normal starting next Tuesday with the article on artificial difficulty. I should have a regular audio slideshow for next week’s edition as well. In case you were interested, here is the script for today’s show. Sorry again and I hope to have everything back to normal next week.

Hey everyone, there will not be an article today. I was originally planning on writing about artificial difficulty in games, but there’s just a whole lot happening right now. I started writing some of it yesterday and E3 obviously got in the way. I don’t have time today and tomorrow is a no-go too.

It might happen Thursday. There are no guarantees, though. It’s a busy week and I didn’t manage my time accordingly. Hopefully this doesn’t happen again too soon, since I had to skip the audio show two weeks ago. Don’t worry, though. With less reading to do, you’ll have more time to game on, Canada.

This week’s top stories include the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft clarifying certain Xbox One rumours, and a new voice actor for the next Metal Gear Solid game. All that and more in the News of the Week.

Question of the Week: what excites you the most about E3? Comment below or Tweet me your answers.

Music used in this week’s presentation is “The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend” by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 soundtrack.

If the link to the show doesn’t work, please let me know by Tweeting me or commenting below. Same goes for any previous shows if you happen to check them out. I want to make sure everything works. Thank you!